The Health Foundation, a prominent think tank, has reported that urgent and emergency care services in England are currently performing significantly worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic. This winter, the NHS faced unprecedented challenges, with emergency department (A&E) waiting times reaching record highs. In January alone, over 60,000 patients waited 12 hours or more after being admitted to a ward, representing 11% of emergency admissions, the highest level since modern record-keeping began. The think tank argues that these issues cannot be solely attributed to a rise in flu cases, as other respiratory virus hospitalizations and COVID-19 admissions were not significantly worse than previous winters.

One of the critical factors worsening urgent care performance is the persistent delay in discharging patients who are medically ready to leave the hospital. These delays have caused congestion in emergency departments and hindered ambulance handovers, with the situation reportedly worse than in previous winters. Overworked hospital staff face burnout, raising concerns about patient safety. The NHS is planning to involve general practitioners more actively to help reduce hospital admissions, but the system remains under severe strain, comparable to the pandemic's peak.

During the pandemic, urgent care centers experienced a surge in patient volumes, particularly for COVID-19-related services. Many clinics adopted a "COVID-first" approach, focusing on testing and treating the virus, sometimes at the expense of other urgent care services. This shift led to reduced operational hours, staffing challenges, and the scaling back of services like x-rays. Although some clinics maintained their pre-pandemic care models alongside COVID services, many urgent care centers now struggle with decreased visit volumes and staffing shortages, impacting their ability to meet demand effectively.

The pandemic also disrupted the quality of care in emergency departments, exacerbating issues such as boarding, longer wait times, and staff burnout. Post-pandemic quality improvement efforts face significant barriers due to workforce shortages and entrenched systemic problems. New strategies emphasize frontline staff engagement and psychological safety to improve care delivery. However, the ongoing challenges highlight the urgent need for systemic reforms to restore urgent care services to pre-pandemic standards and better prepare for future health crises.